


You Make Me Laugh Until I Choke

by Agapostemon



Series: Cardboard Castles [16]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Vacation, let Shiro rest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-18 06:40:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10611339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agapostemon/pseuds/Agapostemon
Summary: As soon as they arrive in the hotel room, Matt drops his duffel bag and flops onto the bed. It’s not a fancy hotel or anything. It’s one of those “nicer than a motel, but nothing to write home about” places. You know, the kind with a breakfast buffet and a poorly-supervised pool. He brought Shiro here in an attempt to get him to relax.So far, he isn’t having much success on that front. Shiro is still standing near the door, stance stiff and suitcase in hand.------OR: 5 times Matt called the shots, and 1 time Shiro exercised his veto power





	

**Author's Note:**

> Content Warnings: Cursing, making out
> 
> This takes place a few months after [False Start](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9884657/chapters/22165712). Also, if you're 18+ and cool with explicit content, [Rain Checks](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10394379/chapters/22953012) was written as a kinda-sorta companion piece to this in that they deal with the same stage of Matt and Shiro's relationship. But you definitely don't need to read that to understand this.
> 
> This was an attempt at filling a prompt on Tumblr, but it kind of ran away from me which means it A) took me several weeks to finish, and B) only partially fits the prompt I was given. But uh... I tried, and therefore no one should criticize me?? Anyways, I'm [Agapostemon](https://agapostemon.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr, in case anyone was wondering. Feel free to come chat me up!
> 
> Character Ages for Reference:  
> Shiro - 30  
> Matt - 28

As soon as they arrive in the hotel room, Matt drops his duffel bag and flops onto the bed. It’s not a fancy hotel or anything. It’s one of those “nicer than a motel, but nothing to write home about” places. You know, the kind with a breakfast buffet and a poorly-supervised pool. He brought Shiro here in an attempt to get him to relax.

So far, he isn’t having much success on that front. Shiro is still standing near the door, stance stiff and suitcase in hand.

“C’mon, lay down with me!” Matt pats the bed, inviting his partner over, “This is a vacation, not a conference. Set your stuff down and relax.”

Shiro’s stance eases a bit as he sets down his suitcase. He makes his way over to the bed and lays down, curling around Matt with a soft, nervous smile.

Matt reaches a hand up and ruffles his white bangs, “Seriously, it’s okay. You can relax, now. No work. No Keith. No responsibilities at all. Just you and me and a low-budget hotel for two whole days.”

“It’s more like one whole day,” Shiro points out, reaching over to rest his left hand on Matt’s chest, “since we’re here half of today and half of tomorrow. Just saying.”

“Shhh,” Matt puts his finger to his lips, “Two days. This is a glass is half full kinda vacation, okay?”

Shiro snorts and shakes his head fondly, “You’re a scientist. You’re supposed to care about technicalities.”

“Well _technically_ ,” Matt says, “I haven’t seen you take a vacation in the entire time I’ve known you. So you’re way overdue.”

“What about—”

“And before you say anything: conferences are the opposite of vacations,” Matt interjects.

Shiro huffs, playing with the fabric of Matt’s shirt as he feigns pouting. They lay together in silence for a bit before Shiro finally speaks, his voice quiet and uncertain, “Matt, I’m not really sure how to be on vacation.”

Matt looks over at him and brushes a hand across his cheek, “You just, y’know… relax. You keep saying you need a break from being in charge, and… well, this is your chance.”

Shiro seems to mull over this for a moment, unsure what to do with this information. Then, suddenly, a devious grin spreads across his face, “Well then, I hereby relinquish my decision-making power for the weekend. I’m done being in charge.”

Matt blinks, “Wait, does that mean… are you putting _me_ in charge?”

Shiro chuckles, “Yeah, if you’re up for it. I mean, within reason. I still have veto power, obviously.”

“ _Cool_ ,” Matt gasps, looking like he’s just won the lottery.

Shiro responds with a snort, “You act like I’ve just granted you some magical new power. Matt, you make decisions for us all the time. This isn’t exactly revolutionary. All I did was give myself permission to be lazy for once.”

“Well, yeah,” Matt says, “But now I’m like… _in charge_! This is gonna be _fun_!”

Shiro just pulls him closer and kisses his nose, “Glad we’re on the same page. So, what will your first action as The Boss be?”

Matt grins like a kid in a candy shop, “Well, first order of business… let’s check out that room service menu over there. I’ve always wanted to order room service.”

 

**First Order of Business: Order Room Service**

“Y’know, I always figured room service would be more…” Matt gestures vaguely as he pours over the menu.

“Fancy?” Shiro finishes for him.

“Yeah,” says Matt, still not looking up from the menu, “Fancy.”

Shiro chuckles, peering over Matt’s shoulder, “What, buffalo wings aren’t fancy enough for you?”

“We could get steak,” Matt suggests.

“It’s not gonna be good steak,” Shiro warns, “Don’t let the price fool you into thinking it’s actually good steak.”

“How bad could it possibly be?” Matt challenges, “We’re on vacation. We deserve to treat ourselves.”

Shiro laughs, and leans forward to kiss his cheek, “It’s your decision. I’m fine with subpar steak if you want subpar steak.”

\----------

The steak is, in fact, every bit as subpar as Shiro predicted.

“I can’t believe this steak cost $15,” Matt scoffs, drenching a bite of his severely overcooked steak in A1 sauce.

Shiro lets out a huff of laughter as he chews his own steak. He doesn’t say it, but his eyes sparkle with ‘I told you so.’

“Still worth it,” Matt nods definitively, “Now we can say we’ve experienced room service steak.”

“Which sounds very fancy to anyone who’s never experienced room service before,” Shiro agrees, “So, what’s on the itinerary once we finish eating?”

“Weeell…” Matt glances around the room. His eyes settle on the Jacuzzi tub in the corner and his stomach flutters, “Why don’t we, uh… check out that giant bathtub? Y’know. For science.”

Shiro blushes, “Really?”

Matt lowers his head and sets down his fork, “Yeah. I mean, if you wanna. We brought our swimsuits, so we don’t even have to… y’know.”

Shiro relaxes visibly, flashing Matt a shy smile, “Well, you’re the boss.”

“Alright then, let’s take a bath,” Matt announces, more confident this time. He picks his fork back up and resumes eating his steak with renewed vigor.

 

**Second Order of Business: Check Out That Giant Bathtub**

Shiro looks decidedly uncomfortable just standing there in his swim trunks while the tub fills up. He has his back pressed up against a wall, shoulders hunched and eyes averted as he clutches almost protectively at the stump of his right arm.

Matt pats the spot next to him on the edge of the tub, “Come sit.”

Shiro obliges, taking a seat beside his partner and pressing their shoulders together. The tension seems to drain out of him.

“You still want to do this, right?” Matt checks, placing a damp hand on the back of Shiro’s head.

“Of course,” Shiro smiles, rubbing his head against Matt’s hand, “Just feelin’ a little anxious, is all. Nothing to do with you, just…” he trails off.

“What’s up?” Matt coaxes.

Shiro scrunches up his face, “What if something goes wrong when I’m not there?”

“With Keith, you mean?” Matt asks.

Shiro nods, the fuzzy back of his undercut tickling Matt’s hand.

“He’s got Lance,” Matt assures, “And Pidge. And Hunk. And Pidgey knows to call Mom and Dad if there’s an emergency. That’s why we picked a weekend when the kiddos are all staying together, remember? Everything is under control.”

Shiro takes a deep breath, then presses his forehead against Matt’s, “You’re right. I know you’re right. I just…” he sighs.

“C’mon,” Matt says, reaching around his partner to turn off the water, “The tub’s full. Get in and I’ll wash your hair, okay?”

Shiro lets out a soft puff of laughter and moves to get in the tub as instructed.

Once they’ve both settled in the tub—Shiro positioned between Matt’s legs with his back against his torso—Matt reaches for the button to turn the jets on. “It’s like our own personal hot tub!” he announces, grinning into the back of Shiro’s neck.

“You know, there’s an actual hot tub downstairs,” Shiro points out.

“Yeah, but I can’t wash your hair in that one,” Matt says, reaching for the shampoo.

“Fair,” Shiro concedes.

“Okay, scooch down for me Kashi,” Matt instructs gently, “And lean your head back so I don’t shampoo your eyeballs.”

Shiro snorts softly and slides down to grant Matt easy access to his hair. He looks ridiculous, all folded up in the slightly-too-small tub, but his expression is filled with peaceful anticipation.

“God,” Matt murmurs as he squeezes shampoo into his hand and begins to lather it into Shiro’s hair, “You’re so fucking cute. We should do this more often.” He watches Shiro’s expression morph into utter bliss as he tugs at his soapy white bangs and rakes his fingernails gently across his scalp. Once he finishes, he lightly taps Shiro’s shoulder and instructs, “Alright, all done. Rinse your hair for me, please.”

Shiro slides down to dunk his head in the water, almost kneeing himself in the face in the process, then emerges sputtering with laughter and snorting water out of his nose. Once he recovers, he gives Matt an expectant look.

“What?” Matt asks.

“What next?” Shiro asks, the corner of his mouth quirking up in a playful smirk.

Oh.

Oh, right.

Matt’s in charge.

Unfortunately, he didn’t really think this far ahead. He just knew he wanted to get in the tub with Shiro and wash his hair. Well then, it’s time for some improv.

“Next,” he says, trying to keep his voice smooth and confident despite the fact that he feels quite the opposite, “You’re gonna scoot back over here and lay in my lap.”

“Okay,” Shiro says without a hint of skepticism, returning to his original position.

Matt’s breath hitches as Shiro’s heavy body settles back against him. Suddenly he’s overwhelmed by the amount of trust between them right now. By how vulnerable Shiro is willing to be in front of him. How Shiro just unquestioningly followed his bullshit improv directions without a second thought. He plants a fluttery kiss on the side of Shiro’s neck and whispers, “Thank you, Takashi. You’re so good for me.”

Shiro responds with a pleased hum that vibrates against Matt’s chest.

Matt reaches around to run his fingers across Shiro’s torso, still trying to come up with an actual plan of action. Then his fingers catch on a scar crossing his partner’s collarbone and he has an idea. “Your scars are so beautiful, Kashi. Did you know that?” he whispers against Shiro’s jaw. He brushes his hand over what remains of an old electrical burn, “They tell so many stories about how strong you are and what you’ve survived through.”

Shiro responds by reaching out his hand and tracing the scars on Matt’s left calf. He doesn’t say anything, just hums thoughtfully.

Suddenly, tears are welling in Matt’s eyes and he wraps both arms around Shiro’s torso, burying his face between his neck and his shoulder.

“You okay?” asks Shiro, resting the side of his head against Matt’s.

“Yeah,” Matt nods, “More than okay.”

“Good,” Shiro’s hand comes to a rest on Matt’s knee, and he turns to kiss the top of his head, “I love you, Matt. So much. You know that, right?”

“That’s good, ‘cause I love you too,” Matt murmurs into Shiro’s neck.

Shiro chuckles softly, “So, when do I get to wash your hair? You’re still awfully dry from the shoulders up.”

“Last time you washed my hair, you got soap in my eyes!” Matt lifts his head and sticks his tongue out.

Shiro snorts, “I’ll be careful.”

“Alright, alright,” Matt stands up abruptly, sending water cascading off his swim trunks and onto Shiro, “Comin’ through.” He steps around Shiro and plops down into his lap. His knee protests a bit at all the sudden movement, but he does his best to ignore the twinge of pain. He tilts his head back to grin up at Shiro, “Soap me up!”

Shiro raises an eyebrow, “Aren’t you forgetting a step?”

“No?” says Matt.

Shiro chuckles, “Matt, your hair is still dry.”

“Oh, right,” Matt’s grin turns sheepish as he hurriedly dunks his head under the water.

When he emerges, Shiro drizzles some shampoo into his soggy mop of hair and lathers it in. It’s a sloppy, utilitarian shampoo job—seven years of washing your hair one-handed will do that—but it’s a sweet gesture. And this time he manages not to get soap in Matt’s eyes, which is good.

After Matt ducks down to rinse his hair, Shiro speaks up, “So, what should we do after the water gets cold?”

“It’s a hotel, Shiro,” Matt retorts, “If the water gets cold, we just run more water.”

Shiro laughs, “Yeah, but eventually we’re gonna turn into raisins and get tired of this bathtub.”

Matt gasps, “Never!"

“Or at least _I_ will,” says Shiro, “I dunno about you. For all I know, you’ve genetically modified yourself to be partially aquatic or something. But I for one am not sleeping in a Jacuzzi tub tonight.”

“Spoilsport,” Matt teases, “I could inject you with fish genes too, if you’d like.”

“No thanks,” Shiro chuckles.

“Anyways,” says Matt, tone marginally more serious, “Why don’t we get into some pajamas and climb in bed after this? I’m not tired yet, but I’m feelin’ kinda cuddly.”

“I’d like that,” Shiro nods.

“Okay, cool,” Matt grins, “But first I’m gonna washcloth you.”

“Washcloth me?” Shiro raises an eyebrow.

“Y’know,” Matt mimes scrubbing motions, “Washcloth you.”

Shiro bursts into a laughter, earning an incredulous look from Matt. Once he regains his ability to breathe without cackling, he nods, “Okay. You can washcloth me. You want me to get in front of you again? Maybe we should’ve come up with an itinerary for this bath ahead of time. We seem to be playing a lot of musical chairs, here.”

“Yes please,” Matt says, “It’s hard to washcloth you when you’re behind me.” At this point he’s just saying ‘washcloth’ to make Shiro laugh. It’s working.

They spend the rest of their bath giggling together as Matt scrubs Shiro’s torso. They both took showers that morning, so the whole thing is more to make Shiro feel good than for the sake of actual cleanliness. But judging by the sounds Shiro’s making, Matt’s succeeding at that goal, too.

 

**Third Order of Business: Cuddle Like We Mean It**

“Hey uh… hang on for a sec,” Matt stops Shiro halfway into pulling on his pajama shirt.

Shiro responds with a puzzled noise, pausing half-in, half-out of his t-shirt.

Matt steps over and gingerly pulls the shirt back over Shiro’s head, planting a kiss on his jaw-line as he does so, “Gonna give you a backrub. Sound good?”

Shiro blushes, “Oh. Yeah, of course.”

“Good. Lay down on your tummy for me?” Matt instructs.

Shiro obliges, tugging a pillow under his chin and getting comfortable. Matt takes a moment to look him up and down before joining him on the bed. His scarred, well-muscled torso and dog-print flannel pajama pants stand out starkly against the bland hotel bedding. “Heck, you’re cute,” Matt whispers under his breath before climbing onto the bed and straddling the backs of Shiro’s thighs, “Want me to start anywhere in particular?”

“The usual,” Shiro responds, voice muffled by his pillow.

“Shoulders?” Matt confirms. Shiro nods. His shoulders are always a mess. “Wow, I think your knots have knots. What have you been doing to your poor body? Oh! I should put music on. Gotta set the ambience.”

Shiro snorts into the pillow as Matt reaches for his phone, “That sure was a train of thought.”

“Listen here,” say Matt, “Listen here to me. Music is very important for a romantic massage.”

Shiro snorts even harder, “Matt, we give each other back rubs literally all the time.”

“But this is different!” Matt argues, finally pulling up the playlist he wants, “We’re on a romantic weekend getaway. We need to set the mood.” He presses play, and his phone speakers proceed to serenade them with a partially-French cover of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’.

Shiro’s body quakes with laughter, “How is this supposed to set a romantic mood? What the hell are we even listening to?”

“Would you hold still?” scolds Matt, “You’re making this difficult.”

Shiro just laughs harder, “What kind of mood are you setting here? I want answers!”

“A good one!” Matt responds simply, doing his best to hold his squirming partner in place so he can massage his shoulders. After a minute or so, Shiro’s laughter quiets and he relaxes into the massage. He snorts as the song switches to ‘Come With Me Now’ by KONGOS, but he stays calm, half-entranced by how nice the massage feels.

He does not, however, bite his tongue the next time the song switches. “Really, Matt? A break-up song?” he scoffs as a cover of Maroon 5’s ‘One More Night’ begins playing, “How exactly is this supposed to set a romantic atmosphere? Please enlighten me.”

Matt leans forward to check Shiro’s face, making sure he’s not actually upset. His closed eyes and lazy smile say he’s not, so Matt sits back up and says, “It sounds nice.” He moves his hands to attack a particularly stubborn knot on Shiro’s lower back, “Also, it’s not a breakup song. It’s an unhealthy relationship song. Get your facts straight.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Shiro mumbles into his pillow, followed shortly by a hum of pleasure.

Matt grins and leans down to plant a kiss on his partner’s shoulder blade, “Good thing you love ridiculous.”

Shiro lets out a puff of laughter, “Good thing I love ridiculous.”

\----------

Eventually Matt’s hands get tired and he rolls dramatically off of Shiro (almost flinging himself off the edge of the bed in the process). Once he catches his balance, he reaches to turn off his music and snuggles up to Shiro’s side, “How’d that feel?”

Shiro stretches dramatically, as if testing his new range of motion, then rolls on his side and pulls Matt close, “Good. Thanks Matt.”

“Thank me with a smooch?” suggests Matt, craning his neck up and hoovering with his lips millimeters from Shiro’s.

Shiro obliges, closing the distance with a warm, soft kiss. Matt responds by sucking his partner’s lower lip into his mouth and reaching up to tangle a hand in his hair. Shiro lets out a whimper that causes Matt to back away, “This okay?”

“Yeah,” Shiro grunts, “Please keep going?”

“Cool,” Matt flashes a grin and tightens his grip on Shiro’s hair, pulling him into a wet kiss. Once they separate, Matt proceeds to plant a row of kisses along Shiro’s jawline, pausing to suck at the skin just behind his ear.

“You’re gonna leave a mark,” mutters Shiro.

“That okay?” Matt asks.

Shiro shrugs, “Sure. If it’s still there by Sunday evening, though, you’re paying for the concealer so I can preserve my professional image.”

“Deal,” Matt responds with a smirk, then sets out to mark up as much of Shiro’s neck as he possibly can. Go big or go home and all that. The sounds Shiro’s making suggest that he doesn’t mind terribly much.

\----------

Sleepiness takes over eventually, and Matt finds himself sprawled on top of his half-asleep partner, yawning against his bare chest.

“Maybe we should get under the blankets,” suggests Shiro groggily.

“Maybe,” Matt concedes, stifling another yawn.

“Meds first, though,” Shiro reminds.

“Oh, right,” Matt grumbles, “Those.”

“You say that like a good night’s sleep with minimal anxiety is a bad thing,” Shiro says.

“No, I just…” Matt yawns, “I’m comfy.”

“We’re gonna have to get up to get under the covers anyways,” Shiro points out.

“Fiiine,” Matt sighs, oozing off of Shiro and onto the floor with a thud.

Shiro snorts and rolls over to peer down at his friend, “Well, that’s one way to get out of bed.”

Matt just gives him a thumbs up and rolls sideways until he reaches their bags. Once there, he extracts both their meds and rolls back to the bed, crawling back in. He drops Shiro’s pill organizer onto his face before popping open his own bottle of meds and dropping a pill in his mouth, swallowing it dry.

Shiro lets out an exaggerated sigh as he grabs the pill organizer off his face and gets up to pour himself some water and take his own meds, grumbling and smiling all the while.

“You know you love me!” Matt calls after him.

Shiro responds by sitting back down on the bed and shoving a cup of water into Matt’s hand. Matt downs the water in two gulps, then squirms under the blankets and beckons for Shiro to join him. Shiro leans down to kiss his forehead, then adjusts the pillows to his likings and joins him under the blankets.

“Hey Takashi,” Matt whispers, suddenly switching from silly to affectionate as he wraps an arm around his partner’s torso.

He can feel Shiro’s breath hitch slightly before he whispers back, “Hey Matt.”

“You wanna roll over for me? I wanna be big spoon,” Matt says softly.

Shiro complies without a word, and Matt immediately tugs him close and presses his forehead between his shoulder blades. Shiro practically melts into the embrace.

“G’night, my beautiful boy,” Matt murmurs, his voice a lot shakier than he intended it to be. Did those words just leave his mouth? Yes. Apparently they did.

“Thank you,” Shiro stammers back after a moment, “Sleep well, Matty.”

Matt responds by nuzzling the back of his neck. Before long, he’s lulled to sleep by a chorus of Shiro’s cacophonous—yet oddly comforting—snores.

 

**Fourth Order of Business: Breakfast and Cartoons**

“Oh,” Shiro mumbles around his toothbrush the next morning.

“Oh?” Matt parrots back, still horizontal in bed and scrolling through his phone as Shiro gets ready for the day. (Matt forbade him from changing out of his pajamas, but he still insisted on brushing his teeth, putting on his arm and combing away his bedhead.)

Shiro pulls the toothbrush out of his mouth and spits into the sink, “You sure did a number on my neck last night.” There’s laughter in his voice, telling Matt that he’s not upset.

Matt blushes and stammers, “W-well, it’s a good look for you.”

Shiro snorts, “You’re cute.”

“Not as cute as you,” Matt retorts as Shiro returns to brushing his teeth, “Now hurry it up so we don’t miss the breakfast buffet.”

\----------

They arrive at the breakfast buffet 20 minutes before it closes, still in their pajamas (now with coordinated Star Wars t-shirts—R2D2 for Matt and C3PO for Shiro).

“Waffle maker!” declares Matt the second they enter the room, dashing over to the contraption. As he waits for his waffle to cook, he watches Shiro pour two packets of raisin spice oatmeal and some cold milk into a bowl and then load up a plate with scrambled eggs.

“Welcome to egg hell,” he says blandly as he returns to Matt’s side.

“There’s meat, you know,” Matt points out as he pulls out his only-slightly-burnt waffle and plops it on a paper plate, “You don’t _have_ to exist in egg hell.”

Shiro just shrugs.

Matt squints, “Are you… avoiding pork?”

“No?” Shiro reponds.

Matt squints harder.

“Force of habit,” Shiro explains with another shrug, “Feels weird eating pork after so many years of sharing food with your family and my coworkers.”

“I just watched you eat pork dumplings like… last week,” Matt counters, “Also, shellfish is no more kosher than pork, you know.”

“That’s… different?” Shiro defends weakly, “Matt, I’ve watched you obliterate an entire tray of cocktail shrimp in one sitting.”

Matt shakes his head as he grabs some eggs of his own and drenches them in ketchup, “Fine. Enjoy your self-inflicted egg hell.”

“Thank you,” says Shiro, taking a defiant bite of his eggs, “I will.” 

Matt huffs, “C’mon, lets head back upstairs. It’s cartoons in bed time!” He beckons Shiro away from the buffet and leads him back to their room.

 

**Firth Order of Business: Swim in the Pool**

It doesn’t take long for them to discover that there aren’t many good cartoons available on the shitty hotel channels, so they give up hope and turn off the TV shortly after finishing their breakfast.

“So what now?” asks Shiro, snaking an arm around Matt’s waist and nuzzling his hair.

Matt grins, “I think the pool’s open, now.”

“I’m starting to think your master plan is just to see how many times you can get me shirtless this weekend,” snarks Shiro.

“Hey, you’re the one who put me in charge,” says Matt with a shrug.

“Fair enough,” Shiro chuckles, “So, swimming?”

“Heck yeah,” responds Matt. So they change into their still-damp swimsuits and head down to the mercifully empty pool.

The first thing Shiro does is peer at the rules posted on the wall.

“C’mon Shiro, it’s a pool,” teases Matt, already climbing into the water, “Pool rules are pretty universal. Besides, do you see a lifeguard? Because I don’t. So they’re more like, uh… suggestions.”

“We’re supposed to shower first,” says Shiro.

“Shiro, we just took a bath last night. It’s not like we’re going swimming directly after a mud fight or something. Just get in the pool, silly,” Matt insists.

Shiro sighs and shakes his head, a reluctant smile on his face, “Fine.” He climbs into the water and splashes at Matt.

“Hey!” Matt splutters, his hair dripping, “What happened to following the rules?”

Shiro smirks, “What happened to ‘the rules are just suggestions’? Two can play at this game.”

“Ohoho,” Matt returns Shiro’s smirk, “Well in that case…” he ducks under water and sucks in a mouthful of disgusting pool water, then pops up and spouts it into Shiro’s face.

“Aaagghh, Matt!” Shiro groans, trying in vain to rub the chlorine out of his eyes, “Alright, this is war.” He gives Matt one more splash, then scampers out of the pool. Before Matt has time to process what’s happening, Shiro cannonballs back in barely a foot away from him, showering him with water.

“Oh, is that how we’re playing this game?” Matt says once he recovers from the blast. He moves to scramble out of the pool, but Shiro catches him before he gets far, cackling as he drags him back into the water and hugs him to his chest. Matt kicks as he’s carried out to the middle of the pool, but melts instantly when Shiro’s lips meet his neck. It wouldn’t be hard for him to escape—they’re slippery and wet, and Shiro only has one hand to grasp with at the moment—but maybe he’ll stay here for just a moment longer…

This train of thought is interrupted by Shiro flinging him into the deep end with as much force as he can muster before half swimming, half sprinting to edge of the pool and hefting himself out of the water. It takes Matt a moment to regain his bearings, but once he does he doggy-paddles over to the nearest ladder and climbs out. The second his feet hit the floor, he barrels after Shiro, feet slapping against the cement.

Shiro turns and runs, laughing and shouting, “This is definitely against the rules and I’m not paying for the hospital bills when you crack your head open!”

“What about when _you_ crack _your_ head open?” retorts Matt.

“Doesn’t matter,” retorts Shiro, “’Cause I’m not gonna.”

As if on cue, Shiro punctuates his statement by slipping and careening into the pool with a yelp and a splash.

“Ahh, hubris,” sighs Matt smugly, skidding to a stop near where Shiro fell, “My, how the mighty fall.”

Shiro groans and rolls over to float on his back.

“Seriously though, you okay?” checks Matt.

“Yeah,” Shiro says, “Think I hurt my ankle and my pride on the way down, but I’ll survive.”

Matt clucks his tongue, “Come on out. Can’t do much about the pride, but I wanna take a look at your ankle.”

With a defeated sigh, Shiro climbs out of the pool and sits down on one of the falling-apart pool chairs.

“Which ankle?” asks Matt.

“Left,” Shiro replies.

“Well, the good news is: if you did irreparable damage, at least we’ll match,” says Matt, tapping at his own left leg (which is, in fact, feeling pretty sore after running on wet concrete).

Shiro snorts, “Pretty sure it’s just bruised, Matt." 

“We shall see,” Matt says ominously, stooping down to investigate his partner’s wounded ankle. It doesn’t take him long to determine that yes, it’s just bruised.

Soon after, a flock of kids prances in with their beleaguered adult chaperone in tow. Matt and Shiro take this as their cue to leave.

 

**Sixth Order of Business: ~~Jump on the Bed~~ Pack Our Bags**

“Welp, injuries aside, that was pretty fun!” declares Matt as he changes out of his swim trunks back in their room.

“Yeah,” agrees Shiro, toweling off his right arm so he can reattach his prosthetic, “It… was, actually. Thanks Matt.”

“You should break rules more often,” says Matt, flashing Shiro a smile, “It’s cute.”

Shiro blushes, “You’re a good influence, I guess. Or a terrible influence. Or both. Let’s go with both.”

Matt grins, “Matthew Holt: Best Worst Influence. I like it.”

Shiro shakes his head and chuckles, “So, check-out time is in an hour. Any last things we should do before then?”

“Jump on the bed!” Matt blurts out halfway through pulling his shirt over his head.

Shiro quirks an eyebrow.

Matt finishes tugging his shirt on, “I’ve always wanted to jump on a hotel bed!”

“Matt…” Shiro says hesitantly, “You have a bad leg and I just hurt my ankle. What part of ‘jump on the bed’ seems like a good idea to you?”

“Uh, the… jumping part? And the bed part?” Matt says, “But you have veto power. We don’t have to.”

Shiro sighs and looks over at Matt with half a smile, “Sorry buddy, think I’m gonna have to veto this one.”

“Alright,” says Matt, a little disappointed but not enough to ruin his mood, “No worries.” He makes his way over and plops down next to Shiro on the edge of the bed, leaning against him.

Shiro leans back, pressing their shoulders together, and they sit together in silence for a couple minutes before Shiro says, “This was nice. We should do this more often.”

“What?” says Matt, “Staying in hotels? ‘Cause that could get expensive fast.”

Shiro lets out a puff of laughter, “No, just… letting you take over the decision making for a bit. It was a nice break.”

“Oh. Yeah, of course we can do this more often. Just say the word and I’m happy to take the reins for a bit,” Matt smiles and nuzzles Shiro’s cheek, “You’re a good listener when you wanna be. It’s cute.”

Shiro hums softly, “Good. Good arrangement. Thanks Matt.”

“Of course,” says Matt, basking in the warmth of the moment.

“But for now,” says Shiro, suddenly all business, “It’s my turn to call the shots. First order of business: time to pack our bags.” He pats Matt’s back and stands up.

“Aww, do we have to?” Matt groans, not quite ready for the moment to be over.

Shiro ruffles Matt’s hair sympathetically, “We gotta check out soon. We can cuddle and talk when we get home, okay?”

“Ooor…” says Matt, gears turning in his head, “We could go out for a romantic lunch and sit on the same side of the booth so we can snuggle.”

Shiro laughs, “Or that. What restaurant were you thinking?”

“Indian buffet!” Matt suggests enthusiastically.

“Deal,” Shiro says, “Even though I know you’re going to eat nothing but rice pudding the entire time.”

“Not true!” retorts Matt, “I like the spicy stuff, too. Like chicken tikka-masala.”

Shiro snorts loudly and shakes his head, “Okay, Matt. But first we gotta pack, so up up. C’mon.”

Matt reluctantly stands up and sets to work shoving discarded clothing items into his bag as Shiro does the same. As much as he doesn’t want to be cleaning up a hotel room right now, he has to admit: they make a good pair. Left to their own devices, Matt would probably have missed the check-out time and had to pay for an extra night at the hotel, and Shiro probably wouldn’t have had an ounce of fun all weekend.

They’re better as a team.

**Author's Note:**

> Matt, chicken tikka masala is not spicy. Also, here are the songs from Matt's "romantic ambiance" playlist:
> 
> ["Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Freedom Fry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBUWPHiU6BI)  
> ["Come With Me Now" by KONGOS](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stfn-WS3bE4)  
> ["One More Night" by Madilyn Bailey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2SuYd-Z5PI)
> 
> In other news: Please remember that I write purely for fun and catharsis. My fics are unbeta’d and minimally proofread. They’re not perfect, and that’s okay. If you notice something I could fix or improve, please keep those thoughts to yourself. If I genuinely want critique, I’ll ask a close friend in private. **Surprise critiques are very stressful and discouraging.** Thanks for understanding!


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